This is the easiest, best pizza dough recipe. With just 6 ingredients and no fancy flours required (I’ve included instructions for using all-purpose or bread flour), this pizza crust requires just one bowl (no stand mixer, though you can use one if you’d like), about 3 seconds of kneading, and just 30 minutes to rise.
If you’re uncomfortable working with yeast or making your own pizza dough at home, I’ll walk you through every step of the process in my video just below the recipe. You’ve got this!
It’s a little silly how excited I am to share this recipe with you today. It’s pizza dough, not exactly glamorous or sexy and it was honestly pretty boring to photograph (how do you make a ball of dough look fun and appealing in pictures, please tell me!).
But as someone who has struggled with baking even the most simple recipes with yeast, perfecting this pizza dough was definitely a triumph for me and I’m really happy to announce that there’s nothing to be afraid of! Yeast baking isn’t all that scary or hard, and you too can make your own super simple pizza crust at home in a matter of minutes, no fancy ingredients required.
I kept this pizza dough recipe as simple and approachable as possible. It’s made with all-purpose flour (and notes on how to substitute that flour, in case you want to get fancy 😉), no stand mixer needed, and only the most minimal amount of kneading required.
Below I’ve tried to ask some of the most frequently asked questions about making your own pizza dough. Let’s get to it.
What is the best flour for making homemade pizza dough?
Many pizza-making-pros will likely argue that bread flour is best for making homemade pizza. However, I rarely keep any flours in my pantry that are more exotic than all-purpose flour, so when I was working on this recipe I first and foremost made sure that it worked perfectly with regular old all-purpose flour.
I did make a point to test this recipe (repeatedly, we ate a lot of pizza last week) with bread flour and it works very well when made that way, too. I find that the biggest difference is that using bread flour gives my pizza dough a crispier crust, while the all purpose flour yields a softer one.
Can I flavor my Pizza Dough?
Pizza dough on its own is obviously important as a base for your favorite pizza, but it’s also kind of… bland. Shockingly, something made primarily of flour and water isn’t super exciting to the taste buds, and most of the flavor will come from whatever toppings you add.
I do usually try to spice up my crust just a bit, though, by adding a dash of garlic powder (usually around a ¼ teaspoon) and sometimes dried basil leaves (dried oregano could also work for you but I absolutely loathe oregano) into the dough before you add your oil and water.
How do you stretch out pizza dough?
You can use a rolling pin or you can use your hands. If you’re especially skilled, you can toss it up in the air and spin your dough like an Italian pizza artist, but I definitely lack the ability to tell you how to do that one.
I prefer to use a rolling pin and roll the dough out into a circle (or more like an amoeba-shape, since I can’t roll a perfect circle to save my life). Alternatively you can use your hands to flatten and stretch the dough until it reaches the desired width.
Then use your hands to pinch the edges to make a crust or fold over the edges (I always fold mine over because it gives me a thicker crust, which I love), brush the entire surface of the pizza generously with olive oil, and then use a fork to poke holes over the center of the dough to prevent any bubbles from forming while it bakes.
How do you make Homemade Pizza?
You can use this pizza dough recipe to make your own homemade pizza using any toppings you’d like (I love making Margherita pizza and have even made a BBQ chicken version using my BBQ pulled chicken).
I included instructions in the recipe, but once you’ve prepared your pizza dough, just add your favorite toppings and bake in a 425F oven for about 15 minutes (you may need longer if you add a lot of toppings). Do make sure you let your oven preheat properly and use an oven thermometer as possible, my oven takes a while to reach that temperature and usually “tells” me it’s ready when it’s not even close.
OK, are you guys sick of hearing about my beloved pizza dough recipe yet? In case you just can’t get enough, I also made a video just below that you can watch so you can see exactly how your dough should look in every step.
How to Make Homemade Pizza Dough
If you enjoy watching these videos, please subscribe to my YouTube Channel to be notified every time I publish a video!
The Best Pizza Dough Recipe
Ingredients
- 2-2 ⅓ cups all-purpose flour OR bread flour¹ divided (250-295g)
- 1 packet instant yeast² (2 ¼ teaspoon)
- 1 ½ teaspoons sugar
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ⅛-¼ teaspoon garlic powder and/or dried basil leaves optional
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil + additional
- ¾ cup warm water³ (175ml)
Instructions
- Combine 1 cup (125g) of flour, instant yeast, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. If desired, add garlic powder and dried basil at this point as well.
- Add olive oil and warm water and use a wooden spoon to stir well very well.
- Gradually add another 1 cup (125g) of flour. Add any additional flour as needed (I've found that sometimes I need as much as an additional ⅓ cup), stirring until the dough is forming into a cohesive, elastic ball and is beginning to pull away from the sides of the bowl (see video above recipe for visual cue). The dough will still be slightly sticky but still should be manageable with your hands.
- Drizzle a separate, large, clean bowl generously with olive oil and use a pastry brush to brush up the sides of the bowl.
- Lightly dust your hands with flour and form your pizza dough into a round ball and transfer to your olive oil-brushed bowl. Use your hands to roll the pizza dough along the inside of the bowl until it is coated in olive oil, then cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and place it in a warm place.
- Allow dough to rise for 30 minutes or until doubled in size. If you intend to bake this dough into a pizza, I also recommend preheating your oven to 425F (215C) at this point so that it will have reached temperature once your pizza is ready to bake.
- Once the dough has risen, use your hands to gently deflate it and transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead briefly until smooth (about 3-5 times).
- Use either your hands or a rolling pin to work the dough into 12" circle.
- Transfer dough to a parchment paper lined pizza pan and either pinch the edges or fold them over to form a crust.
- Drizzle additional olive oil (about a Tablespoon) over the top of the pizza and use your pastry brush to brush the entire surface of the pizza (including the crust) with olive oil.
- Use a fork to poke holes all over the center of the pizza to keep the dough from bubbling up in the oven.
- Add desired toppings (see the notes for a link to my favorite, 5-minute pizza sauce recipe!) and bake in a 425F (215C) preheated oven for 13-15 minutes or until toppings are golden brown. Slice and serve.
Notes
Making in Advance:
To make in advance, let the dough rise covered at room temperature as indicated in the recipe, then deflate it, wrap it tightly so it doesn't dry out, and store in the refrigerator for up to several days or it will freeze for up to a month. Top your pizza off with my favorite, easy, homemade pizza sauce!Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
Barbara Johnson
Excellent crust !!
Shannon
Can you use regular active dry yeast? Or does it have to be instant? Thanks!!
Sam
Hi Shannon! You can use active dry yeast. The rise time may just be a little longer. Some people have proofed the active dry yeast before adding it, others have just added it in the same manner. 🙂
Christina
Hello!!
I love love love this pizza dough recipe super simple and quick !
Question: Have you ever made this dough the night before (after dough properly rises of course) refrigerated it and then rolled it out the next day?
T.I.A.
Sam
Hi Christina! I have not personally done it, but I know many others have with success. Just make sure its wrapped tightly so it doesn’t dry out. 🙂
Kathy
This is a great dough and it refrigerates perfectly. I make the dough, let it rise, deflate it and then refrigerate. I drizzle a bit of olive oil in a ziplock bag and spread it around the inside. Then i drop the dough in, squeeze out extra air, zip and refrigerate. This also a handy method for using half now and half later. Love this recipe.
Wayne
Superb recipe been using it for months now. Just 2 Tips. If you have a pizza pan with holes in it don’t use the baking paper instead use olive oil on your tray and Tip 2 for a crispy base put your rolled out dough using the fore mentioned tip into the oven for 3 minutes before applying the tomato paste and toppings as this will give your base an extra crispy taste.
Sam
I am so glad you enjoy it, Wayne! 🙂
Janis
Awesome pizza dough recipe!
Sam
Thank you, Janis! I am so glad you enjoyed it so much! 🙂
Jennifer Kurth
This is my go to when I just want to make one pizza. The directions are spot on &it’s so easy to make !
I decided on chicken bacon ranch pizza. I did bake mine for 13 minutes on a sheet dusted with cornmeal.
Thanks for the great recipe!
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed it so much, Jennifer! Chicken bacon ranch is an excellent choice for toppings. 🙂
Tony
Does the dough need to be beaten for a while first before placing it to rise?
Sam
Hi Tony! There are no extra steps needed other than what is listed in the recipe. 🙂
Shaz
Finally a pizza dough recipe that made me feel so happy!
(P. S. I never post comments on recipes, but this is a first for me. Will try other recipes as well!)
Sam
Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a comment! I’m glad you enjoyed it. 🙂
Sandor
GREAT pizza dough!!
My first time EVER making pizza dough from scratch – and this recipe gives me a perfect platform to work from.
My wife (pickiest eater ever) even loved it!
Thank you for all the work you put into presenting this recipe!
Sugar Spun Run
I am so glad that it was such a hit, Sandor! Thank you for trying my recipe and for commenting. 🙂
rebecca
Can’t wait to try this recipe later today! Am i able to make it ahead of time and store it in the fridge until needed? Thanks!
Sam
Hi Rebecca! Others have made this in advance with success. I would let it rise then deflate it and wrap tightly to store in the refrigerator. 🙂
Sandor
I did!
After it rose – I realized I didn’t have all of the ingredients I wanted for my first pizza!
So after it rose – I placed it uncovered on a stone plate into my fridge – while I went to the store (30 minutes approx).
When I returned home – I pre-heated the over and then formed the ball into a pizza crust.
Having made pizza’s before in my younger days while working at Little Ceasar’s – I used the center out finger method. Once you have folded it about 3 times and flattened it out – you then start from the center and using 2 fingers from each hand…work your way out to the crust area – rotate the dough a couple inches and repeat.
This seems to have removed all the possible bubbles – and made an even spread.
Tossing a pizza is really a bad idea….you wind up getting a REALLY thin center – and a thick outer area – this also provides a place for the moisture to accumulate while cooking – leaving you with a puddle of water like fluid while the crust is already browning.
Tammy
Very good
Lisa Eastland
Have you tried pre-baking the crust with no toppings to freeze for later use? I’m thinking for the grill when it is too hot to use the oven. Any tips?
Sam
I have not tried this, but I don’t think that would be a problem at all.
Debbie
Thank you so much for sharing this. Tried it today and everyone in the family was so pleased! Yummy!
Sam
You’re very welcome, Debbie! Thank you so much for commenting and letting me know how everyone enjoyed, I appreciate it! 🙂
Chiara
Hi
I have tried this recipe multiple times and it is a bit with my family. I was wondering about making it more healthier, and wanted to know if the same recipe could work if I replaced all purpose flour with whole wheat or did half all purpose and and half whole wheat.
Thanks in advance !
Sam
Hi Chiara! I sometimes make this recipe with half whole wheat and half all purpose flour. It works well, though since whole wheat flour is a bit “thirstier” I often need to use less flour than the recipe calls for as written. Enjoy!
Fedor Nesterenko
Fantastic recipe!
Greg
Can I freeze the dough?
Sam
Hi Greg! Others have frozen the dough with success. 🙂
Greg
Thank You.
Cassandra
At what stage do we freeze the dough? After it rises or before?
Sam
Hi Cassandra! You will want to let the dough rise before freezing so the yeast can do its thing. You will then want to deflate it and wrap it tightly and store in the freezer. 🙂